Law Firm Paid New York Assembly Speaker More Than $3 Million for Mesothelioma Referrals

The charges filed against New York state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver are once again drawing attention to the lucrative arena of asbestos litigation.

Mr. Silver is employed by the personal-injury law firm Weitz & Luxenberg PC. Federal prosecutors allege the firm paid Mr. Silver more than $3 million for referrals of people suffering from mesothelioma, a deadly form of lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Those patients were referred by a New York doctor to whom prosecutors say Mr. Silver steered $500,000 in state...

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